1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to automatic service equipment which can be installed at, for example, a bank or a like to provide a specified service to users when operated by the users themselves in the same manner as for an ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) by which transactions are performed through the users"" operations. More particularly, the invention is directed to automatic service equipment which can be easily operated by users with vision impairments.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, automatic transaction equipment, such as a cash dispenser, cash depositor or a cash dispensing/depositing machine, has become widespread in financial institutions including banks or the like, and most of the work of depositing or drawing cash is done through the use of the automatic transaction equipment. As such automatic transaction equipment becomes widespread, the use of a Braille portion in the vicinity of a paper money and coin handling port thereof has been proposed to provide operational information in Braille so as to be easily used by a user with vision impairments, including blindness, low vision or the like, for depositing or drawing cash. One example is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. Hei9-106319 as shown in FIG. 5.
FIG. 5 is a top view of a horizontal portion constituting a front panel which serves as a customer service operation section of conventional automatic transaction equipment adapted to be used by users with vision impairments. In the horizontal portion constituting the front panel serving as the customer service operating section 20 mounted at the front of the machine is provided an operation displaying section 21 having a touch panel and a color liquid crystal display for data input, along left and right portions of which and along a lower portion on which Braille plates 22a, 22b and 22c are mounted.
In the vicinity of the outside of the Braille plate 22a, attached to the left side of the operation displaying section 21, is mounted a guidance section 23 which serves as a collective guidance plate to collectively provide information about relatively positioned layouts of operational devices on the front panel 20, including the paper money handling port and coins handling port, in a manner such that they can be recognized by being touched, i.e., by a tactile sense. Moreover, in the vicinity of the outside portion of the Braille plate 22b attached to the right side of the operation displaying section 21 is mounted another guidance section 24 serving to guide operational procedures so that they can be also recognized by the tactile sense.
FIG. 6A is a top view of the guidance section of the conventional equipment and FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view of the guidance section of FIG. 6A taken along the line bxe2x80x94b.
On a tactile guidance face 51 of the guidance section 23, i.e., of the collective guidance plate 23, is formed a layout pattern 52 having protrusion portions each showing each of the operational devices. A user with vision impairments can get specified information by the tactile sense through the touch of the tactile guidance face 51.
In FIGS. 6A and 6B, the layout pattern 52 is adapted to give information about relatively positioned layouts of the operational devices to be obtained when a horizontal portion and a vertical portion of the operation face, i.e., the customer service operating section 20 of the automatic transaction equipment is developed. For example, a card handling portion, a bankbook portion, a coin handling portion, a paper money handling portion and an operation displaying section are represented by patterns 53, 54, 55, 56 and 57, respectively. In the vicinity of each of the patterns are formed Braille dots 60 which give information about each of the operational devices.
Moreover, in the vicinity of each of the patterns described above is mounted a vibrator 62 driven by a piezo-electric device 61. Since the automatic transaction equipment is operated to vibrate the vibrator 62 selectively in accordance with operational steps, the user can understand by the tactile sense which part of the operational device should be operated. For example, when the user is going to insert a card into the card handling port, the user, by touching the vibrating vibrator 62 mounted at the pattern 53 indicating the card handling port, can know the relative position of the card handling port.
FIG.7 is a top view of the guidance section 24 of the conventional automatic transaction equipment. On a tactile face 71 of the guidance section 24, i.e., the collective guidance plate 24, are displayed a guidance message 72, a message 73 showing the operation procedures, and messages 74 showing each operation procedure, all of which are written in Braille (in FIG. 7, though they are displayed in normal characters). Vibrators 75 having the same function as those mounted on the guidance section 23 are provided in a head position of the messages 74 showing each of the operation procedures. These vibrators 75, signaling the contents of the operation procedures, are adapted to correspond to the vibrators 62 mounted near the patterns on the guidance section 23 and each of the corresponding vibrators is vibrated, in order, depending on each step of the operations. A user with vision impairments can receive guidance on the procedures not only by the tactile sense but also by a voice from a speaker (not shown). The user performs operations including the insertion of the card or the bankbook, input of a personal identification number, input of money amounts for depositing or drawing cash, reception of the cash, card or bankbook or the like in accordance with the guidance for the transaction. In the automatic transaction equipment, the user""s input of a personal identification number or money amounts is performed by using a ten-key pad displayed also in Braille.
As described above, the conventional automatic transaction equipment enables a user with vision impairments to get information about the shape and/or function of the operational devices by touching each pattern and Braille dots provided on the guidance section 23 or about the operational order contents of the message written in Braille dots or by touching the vibrators in the guidance section 24. However, it is necessary for the user with vision impairments to pass his/her hand over the whole portion of the customer service operating section 20 before the positions of the handling port for putting in coins or inserting paper money and for receiving them or of the handling port for inserting and/or receiving the bankbook or card can be found. That is, in the conventional automatic transaction equipment, it is possible for the user with vision impairments to get information about the relative position of each of the operational devices on the customer service operating section 20 but difficult to get information about the absolute position of each of the operational devices. Therefore, the conventional transaction equipment has problems in that it cannot be fully used with ease by the user with vision impairments and that it is of inferior operability. Moreover, it has another problem in that, since the structure of each of the handling ports and the position of portions displayed in Braille differ from manufacturer to manufacturer, the user with vision impairments has to confirm, in advance, the shape and/or the position of the operational device every time the transaction is carried out, thus imposing a burden on the user. It has still further problem in that, since the vibrator activated by the piezo-electric device is used to give information about each of the operational devices and/or operational procedures to the user, the structure of the equipment is complicated, thus making the equipment costly.
In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide automatic service equipment capable of giving excellent operability to users with vision impairments. It is another object of the present invention to provide the automatic service equipment capable of giving not only excellent operability but also easy and simple handleability to users with vision impairments and cost effectiveness.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided automatic service equipment for providing a specified service to a user including:
an operating section to perform operations to receive the service;
a tactile displaying section mounted leaving a space from the operating section to display information about operations at the operating section which is allowed to be identified by a tactile sense; and
a guiding section extending from the tactile displaying section to the operating section to guide a user to the operating section by the user""s tactile sense.
In the foregoing, a preferable mode is one wherein the operating section is provided with a voice guiding section to give guidance on operational procedures for the automatic service equipment by a voice.
Also, a preferable mode is one wherein two or more operating sections are provided as the operating section and the two or more operating sections are displayed collectively on a guidance plate mounted on the tactile displaying section so as to be identified by being touched by the user.
Also, a preferable mode is one wherein each of the guiding sections is extended from the guidance plate to each of the operating sections.
Also, a preferable mode is one wherein includes a front panel and wherein the guiding section is composed of a modified portion extending from the tactile displaying section to the operating section.
Also, a preferable mode is one wherein the modified portion is formed in a continuous form in a direction of its extension.
Also, a preferable mode is one wherein the modified portion is formed in an intermittent form in a direction of its extension.
Also, a preferable mode is one wherein the modified portion is composed of a convex portion.
Also, a preferable mode is one wherein the modified portion is composed of a concave portion.
Also, a preferable mode is one wherein the operating section includes a cash handling port having a shutter, a bankbook handling port to insert and eject a bankbook, a card handling port to insert and eject a card for transaction and an operation timing key and wherein opening of the shutter of the cash handling port and ejection of the bankbook from the bankbook handling port and of the card from the card handling port are performed by operations of the operation timing key depending on contents of the transaction.
Furthermore, a preferable mode is one wherein the voice guiding section is a handset having two or more operational buttons and a receiver and the operation timing key is attached as one of the operational buttons.